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Batman (Volume 1)
Batman is a comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27, published in May 1939. Batman proved to be so popular that a self-titled ongoing comic book series began publication in the spring of 1940. It was first advertised in early April 1940, one month after the first appearance of his new sidekick, Robin, the Boy Wonder. Though the Batman comic book was initially launched as a quarterly publication, it later became a bi-monthly series through the late 1950s, after which it became a monthly publication and has remained so since. However, there allegedly came a time in 1964 when DC's then-editorial director Irwin Donenfeld gave Julius Schwartz and Carmine Infantino a deadline of six months to turn the then-flagging comic around, or it would be cancelled. Jettisoning such miscellaneous characters as Bat-Mite and Ace the Bat-Hound in favour of Aunt Harriet (the symbolic figure designed to combat Wertham-led claims of implied homosexuality), Batman gained his famous yellow chest symbol and moved from operating during the day to truly being a creature of the night. Premise The Batman saga takes place in Gotham City, a city overrun with crime and corruption. Its citizens live in perpetual fear from the vast number of costumed criminals, gangs and common thugs. In an effort to combat the aforementioned villains, Batman preys upon their fear. Secretly, the Batman is billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne, a young socialite who witnessed his parents' murder during a mugging at the age of 8. Batman utilizes his keen analytical mind and sophisticated technology and gadgetry as well as outstanding physical agility, power and stamina to ensure that criminals never feel safe in Gotham. In the eyes of the public, the Batman is believed to be something more than human: an indeterminable black specter that represents terror. This allows him to become an iconic urban legend, which in turn allows him to do things an ordinary man cannot. Maturity of content The first stories appearing in the Batman comic were written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Bob Kane, though Finger went uncredited for years thereafter. These early stories depicted a vengeful Batman, not hesitant to kill when he saw it as a necessary sacrifice. In one of the early stories, he is depicted using a gun to stop a group of giant assailants. The Joker, a psychopath who is notorious for using a special toxin that kills and mutilates his victims, remains one of the most prolific and notorious Batman villains created in this time period. Following the desire of creator Jerry Robinson that the Joker not be a character who gets away with murder, for many years the Joker was changed from cold-blooded murderer to playful trickster. Later, during the Silver Age, this type of super-villain changed from disturbing psychological assaults to the use of amusing gimmicks. Typically, the primary challenges that the Batman faced in this era were derived from villains who were purely evil; however, by the 1970s, the motivations of these characters, including obsessive compulsion, child abuse and environmental fanaticism, were being explored more thoroughly. Batman himself also underwent a transformation and became a much less one-dimensional character, struggling with deeply rooted internal conflicts. Although not canonical, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns introduced a significant evolution of the Batman's character in his eponymous series; he became uncompromising and relentless in his struggle to revitalize Gotham. The Batman often exhibited behavior that Gotham's elite labeled as excessively violent as well as antisocial tendencies. Miller portrayed him with an anti-heroic and near villainous characterization. This aspect of the Batman's personality was also toned down considerably in the wake of the DC-wide crossover Infinite Crisis, wherein Batman experienced a nervous breakdown and reconsidered his philosophy and approaches to his relationships. Currently, the Batman's attributes and personality are said to have been greatly influenced by the traditional characterization by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams' portrayals during the 1970s, although hints of the Miller interpretation appear in certain aspects of his character. Publication history Grant MorrisonTalking Batman with Grant Morrison, Newsarama, February 22, 2008All Star Grant Morrison II: Batman, Comic Book Resources, April 16, 2008 started a long run with artist Tony Daniel including Batman & Son and The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, culminating in the Batman R.I.P. storyline.Killing Batman And The DC Universe, IGN, August 26, 2008 After this the series went on hiatus while the question of which character takes over the role of Batman in Battle for the Cowl. Creating Batman: Battle for the Cowl, IGN, December 19, 2008Tony Daniel - Batman: Battle for the Cowl's Field Marshall, Newsarama, December 22, 2008 Following this, Judd Winick takes over as writer.Under the Hood with Judd Winick, Part I, Comic Book Resources, March 26, 2009Under the Hood with Judd Winick, Part II, Comic Book Resources, March 27, 2009 Issues * In 1994 #0 was released as part of the post-''Zero Hour'' Zero Month (falling between #511 & 512). * The issue with a cover date of November 1998 was "#1,000,000" (falling between #559 & 560) part of the DC One Million crossover. 1-100 101-200 201-300 301-400 401-500 501-600 601-700 701-713 Specials Annuals Over the years 28 annuals have been released in association with the Batman title, though not consistently, trends in Comic Book annuals usually lead to them either being published or overlooked on any given year, an example being the gap between the late nineties annuals and the early/late 2000s. Significant issues Important arcs * major battles with Ra's al Ghul: #243- 245. * Year One: #404 - 407. * A Death in the Family: #426 - 429 * Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying #440 - 442 * Knightfall #491 - 510 * Batman: Prodigal #512 - 514 * Batman: No Man's Land #563 - 574 * Hush: #608 - 619 * Batman and Son #655 - 658 * Batman R.I.P. #676 - 681 Crossovers * Legends: #401 * Knightfall: #492-500 * KnightQuest: #501-508 * Knight's End: #509-510 * Zero Hour: #511. * Prodigal: #512-514 * Troika: #515 * Contagion: #529 * Legacy: #533-534 * Cataclysm: #553-554 * Aftershock: 555-559 * No Man's Land: #563-574 * Officer Down: #587 * War Games: #631-633 * War Crimes: #643-644 * Face the Face: #651-654 * The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul: #670-671 * Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?: #686 First historical appearances Collected editions Batman only * Batman: The Dark Knight Archives (Five Volumes) Collects issues from #1 (1940) - #20 (1943): ** Volume 1 (ISBN 156389050X)[http://dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=1135 Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Volume 1] at DC ** Volume 2 (ISBN 1563891832)[http://dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=1136 Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Volume 2] at DC ** Volume 3 (ISBN 156389615X)[http://dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=1137 Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Volume 3] at DC ** Volume 4 (ISBN 1563899833)[http://dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=1328 Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Volume 4] at DC ** Volume 5 (ISBN 1401207782)[http://dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=6092 Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Volume 5] at DC * Batman: Year One (collects #404 - 407, softcover, ISBN 1401207529, hardcover, ISBN 1401206905) * Batman: Ten Nights of The Beast (collects #417 - 420) * Batman: A Death in the Family (collects #426 - 429) * Batman: Many Deaths of Batman (collects #433 - 435) * Batman: Hush: ** Volume 1 (collects #608 - 612, ISBN 978-1-4012-0060-2)[http://dccomics.com/dcu/graphic_novels/?gn=2339 Batman: Hush Volume 1] at DC ** Volume 2 (collects #613 - 619, ISBN 978-1-4012-0092-3)[http://dccomics.com/dcu/graphic_novels/?gn=2480 Batman: Hush Volume 2] at DC ** Absolute Edition (collects #608 - 619, ISBN 1-4012-0426-0)[http://dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=3815 Absolute Batman: Hush] at DC * Batman: Broken City (collects #620 - 625) * Batman: As the Crow Flies (collects #626 - 630) * Batman: Under the Hood (Two Volumes) (collects #635 - 641, 645 - 650 and Batman Annual #25) * Batman and Son (collects #655 - 658, 663 - 666, hardcover, ISBN 1-4012-1240-9,[http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=7429 Batman and Son hardcover details] softcover, ISBN 1-4012-1241-7) * Batman: The Black Glove (collects #667 - 669, 672 - 675, ISBN 1-4012-1909-8)[http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=9741 Batman: Black Glove trade details] * Batman R.I.P. (collects #676 - 683, ISBN 1-4012-2090-8)[http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/graphic_novels/?gn=10731 Batman R.I.P. hardcover details], at DC Batman (collected with Detective Comics) * Batman Chronicles (Six Volumes): includes #1-11 (1940-1943). * Batman: The Dynamic Duo Archives (Two Volumes): collects #164 (1964) - #171 (1965) * Showcase Presents: Batman (Three volumes): collects #164 (1964) - #201 (1967). Batman-wide crossovers are crossovers that include most - if not all - of the Batman related titles published at the times. * Batman: Knightfall (Three Volumes) (includes #491 - 500, 509 - 510. * Batman: Prodigal (includes #512 - 514. * Batman: Contagion & Batman: Legacy (includes #529, 534 - 535. * Batman: Cataclysm & Batman: No Man's Land (includes #553 - 554, 563 - 569, 572 - 574. * Batman: Officer Down: includes #587. * Batman: Bruce Wayne, Murderer? & Batman: Bruce Wayne, Fugitive (include #599 - 600, 603, 605. * Batman: War Games & Batman: War Crimes (includes #631 - 633, 643 - 644. *'Batman: Face the Face' (includes Batman #651 - 654, in addition to Detective Comics #817-820. * The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul (includes #670 - 671, ISBN 1-4012-1785-0)[http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=9006 Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul trade details] at DC With non-Batman titles * A Lonely Place of Dying: collects #440 - 442 with The New Titans #60 - 61. References External links * The Trade Paperback list *Batman comic book sales figures for 1960-87 at The Comics Chronicles Category:Batman (Volume 1)